A Safe Haven
by Buffalo-Dreams
Summary: /Set 5 years before the events of Twilight Princess/ Odyne, a Gerudo, has survived a horrible attack on her people, and is taken to safety by a familiar Hylian. She soon finds out that she is next in this gruesome assault, and must face the terror that stands before her...
1. Prologue

Odyne gazed out from her post on the edge of the Gerudo Fortress. She felt the warmth of the setting sun tingle all down her spine and the gentle breeze on the desert sand. Her watch shift was over now, but she couldn't help but stay up there for a few more hours. Over yonder, she could see the gates leading to the kingdom of Hyrule, with carts of Hylian men coming in and out. She sniffed. Those men were only here to mate with the rest of her people, so they could keep their numbers at a high level. She had seen the look on those men's faces when they had seen all of the women with skimpy satin barely attached to their tanned bodies. Worth a chuckle, but they wouldn't catch her standing on a podium, looking like a silly little prostitute. But there was an upside to all this madness. If a Gerudo creates a male child with a Hylian, they are worshipped like Gods. Or, goddesses, in this case. Odyne knew there was more to her than watching guard and making children. She could feel it in her gut that something would come up unexpectedly, and she would have a large role in it. She was a good fighter, despite her lazy demeanour. She was strong, agile and she played fair. If something came up, she was sure to help out. But what came next was so unexpected that even Odyne didn't notice the chill in the air.

The next cart came to a halt at the fortress gates, and Odyne did her - rather late - duty by shouting questions to confirm the men's identity as the Gerudo's mates. After a while of shouting and threats to kill them if they weren't, Odyne let them through. She led the men into what she liked to call the 'Labour house', which was just a series of large white rooms where Gerudoes would mate with their chosen men, and give birth. She hated the house; it always smelled of blood and urine. She lined the men up, breathing shallowly and addressed the women. She stormed out afterwards, cursing the Gerudo race. How dare they treat men as if they were breeding livestock? Suddenly, she heard screams from the women and ran back inside. What she saw next was so indescribably terrible, that she had lost all sense of the real world. A woman was lying on the floor, stabbed numerous times in the abdomen, and the men had started to molest and rape the rest who were alive. The savages! Odyne let out a massive war-cry, and let her morning star loose upon the men. Her heavy blows delivered many fatal injuries, and most were bleeding from the head in a bloody heap.

"Everyone, evacuate! I'll catch up," she cried at the poor women and children, who ran outside, hopefully using their carriages to exit the desert. She delivered more blows to the men, until it seemed as if no one was alive. Breathing heavily, Odyne stomped out of the room, only to receive a fierce block on the head herself. She fell to the ground in a heap. Her conscience fading away, the last thing she saw was a carcass falling to the ground, and a woman standing above her…


	2. Chapter 1 - Broken Memories

Odyne awoke to the sound of people talking and glasses clinking. She realised that she was in a bed somewhere, but this wasn't her home. She tried to lift her head, but all she could feel was a throbbing pain and her eyes grew weary.

"Keep still, child! Don't you want to get better?" a voice addressed her firmly. A big, tanned woman restrained Odyne from getting up by clamping down on her arms.

"Hey, get off me! I still owe that son of a bitch a kick in the head!" Odyne struggled against the woman's strong hands.

"No language in my tavern, missy," the woman said.

"Tavern," Odyne paused. "Where am I?"

"You're in a safe haven. For now, at least." The woman walked briskly over to the curtains, and shut them up. Odyne sat up and got out of the bed covers.

"Where's this safe haven then? Am I not in the desert?" Odyne asked impatiently. The woman chuckled and said,

"No, child. You're in Hyrule Castle Town now. You'll be safe here. Now, child, what's your name?"

"Odyne Torpei, of the Gerudo Tribe." The woman smiled.

"Ah. Torpei. I knew you're your mother, you know. Very nice woman,"

"Wait? You knew my mother? Idril Torpei?" Odyne started.

"Yes, child. She came to town many years ago looking for her lover, but she couldn't find him anywhere. She stayed here for a few days, and we became good friends. However, she left in a rush; presumably back to the Gerudo Fortress. She left this note. I suspect you want to read it," the woman said with a sad look in her eye, as she passed the note to Odyne.

"This is definitely my mother's hand writing," Odyne smiled as she read;

_'My dear friend Telma,_

_It is heart-breaking to write this letter. As you know, I have been expecting my child for a while now, and I have lost all hope on finding my love. I am returning to the Gerudo Fortress with nothing but the kind words that you have said to me, but I will always remain_

_Your very good friend,_

_Idril.'_

"You're Telma? My mother used to talk about you all the time when I was little, about how kind you were to her in her time of need. But that's funny, she never mentioned a lover," Odyne said with a frown.

"Maybe it is time to tell you now," Telma whispered.

"Tell me what?" Odyne asked.

"… Do you know when your mother disappeared and never returned?"

"Yes. I can still remember," Odyne frowned with contempt. She was only six when her mother vanished without a trace. She had woken up searching for her, but she had only received sad looks and tears from the others. She had come to the conclusion that she had simply gone on a holiday, and that thought had stuck with her for the rest of her life. But as she got older, she simply thought that her mother had had enough of her, which had lowered her confidence.

"Well, she came here looking weary and she looked so ill that I had her in this same bed for a day, but… well…" Telma's voice wavered and there were heavy tears in her eyes.

"What happened to her?" Odyne trembled.

"She passed away, calling your name." Odyne's eyes became wide and she started crying softly, the volume increasing as she took in the shocking news. "Oh, come here, sweetie," Telma held out her arms as Odyne sobbed loudly into her shoulder.

"She didn't have to leave! Why?" Odyne's voice broke as she sobbed. Telma hugged her tightly, tears seeping down her own face. After a while, the sobbing had silenced and Telma settled Odyne into bed, stroking her cheek softly as she left the room.


	3. Chapter 2 - The Trip

The next morning, Odyne woke up, eyes puffy and red from the day before. She felt grateful for Telma's hospitality, so she decided to make use of herself while at her bar. She brought drinks and cleaned tables, and chatted with guests who seemed friendly. She had earned herself a heavy tip of rupees, and gave them to Telma, who laughed and insisted on letting her keep them.

"That's all your hard work right there, hun! But there is one more thing that I want you to do. It's very important and I need someone that I can trust to do the job," Telma said.

"What is it?" Odyne asked, honoured that she had been chosen for the job.

"I have to deliver some goods to the King of the Zoras, but I'm already busy with errands myself. I need you to take my wagon up north to the Zora's Domain. I know some friends in Eldin who would be happy to help you. Kakariko Village is just on the way there, so stop there and look for a man named Renado. He'll show you the way," Telma then winked. "Don't be put off by his ravishing charms, he's all mine," Odyne giggled as Telma went on with her explanation. "I'll give you a map of the kingdom in advance, but you'll still need directions."

"'Course." Odyne nodded. Odyne was looking forward to the prospect of going across the kingdom. In her whole life, she had never seen the luscious green fields of Hyrule, or the watery pools in Lanayru. There was so much to discover, yet Odyne had seen nothing!

Soon the wagon was filled with goods for the Zoras, and provisions for Odyne; the journey would take at least three days. Telma's horse was attached to the cart, where he whinnied impatiently for his master.

"Settle down, lad," Telma said sharply to the horse. It snorted and Telma grinned. "He's stubborn, but he has a heart of gold,"

"There was a horse just like him at the fortress. I used to ride with him all the time when I wasn't on guard duty," Odyne smiled at the memory. How she longed for the wind to whip through her hair and feel the sand graze her skin, with the magnificent beast galloping through the desert in a torrent. Just seeing this horse now reminded her of home. A wave of homesickness clouded her head, and she buried her head in her hands.

"Are you okay, hun?" Telma asked, cupping Odyne's face in her hands. Odyne smiled, and gently brushed her off.

"'Course I am. Just a little tired," Odyne said as she slowly stepped up into the seat of the wagon.

"Are you sure? You don't have to do it if you don't want to, you know,"

"Yes, I'm sure. I spent the first night here crying and sulking in that bed. I want to make it up to you and prove that I'm strong enough to do this kind of thing," Odyne took hold of the reins of the horse, and flicked them, signalling for the horse to move.

"Wait, Odyne! I have to tell you something!" Telma shouted. Odyne quickly stopped and turned to face Telma.

"What is it?"

"If you want to do this, you have to be careful. Don't let your guard down. There are bandits roaming the kingdom, and it's likely that you'll run into them at some point. In fact, they're the same ones who…" Telma's sentence carried off, and Odyne shook her shoulders.

"Who are they? They're not the same ones who were at the fortress… were they?"

"I believe so," Telma's voice was merely a whisper. Shivers came down Odyne's spine, making her convulse slightly. There was a long silence, until Odyne broke it.

"Okay. I'll watch for them." Her voice was cold, and she shook the reins again. Telma watched as the cart grew smaller and smaller as it went into the distance.


	4. Chapter 3 - A Startling Encounter

Odyne grinned madly as she drove the cart across Hyrule Field. She couldn't get over how beautiful the land was. She could see green, green as far as the eye could see, from tall trees with glossy leaves, to emerald grass, right up to a silhouette of a gigantic volcano in the distance. Looking back, she could just see the outline of Hyrule Castle. '_I must have travelled a mile now, at least_,' Odyne thought to herself, as she settled the cart to a small pond. She and the horse took a long drink; Odyne from a canteen, and the horse from the pond. After a while, Odyne lay down under the shade of a tree, with a strand of rye between her teeth. If she wasn't on an errand, Odyne could have stayed there forever, watching the clouds go by, and listening to the slight trickle of water from the pond. Suddenly, her horse whinnied, which brought her out of her daze. She quickly got up and calmed the horse down.

"What is it, boy?" Odyne said as she gently stroked the horse's muzzle. He gave out another whinny and Odyne instantly sensed that something wasn't right. She quickly gathered her things together and attached the horse back to the cart. "Come on boy. Gee up," Odyne commanded to the horse, who swiftly started trotting. Odyne kept looking for a sign, a change in the air. But nothing was seen, or heard. Just then, an arrow appeared out of nowhere and flew over the horse, who was startled so much, that he rose up and started galloping. "Gah! Where the Hell did that come from?!" Odyne exclaimed. Then it hit her. "The bandits!"

As soon as Odyne said those words, the bandits came out of their hiding places, and surrounded the cart with their horses. "Shit," Odyne cursed. She snapped the reins and the horse gathered speed, soon overtaking the bandits, who jeered and shouted behind her. By doing this, she had given herself enough time to crawl into the cart and get her crossbow, which she had luckily brought back from the fortress. Taking her seat back, she aimed her bow, and fired at the closest bandits, soon taking their lives. The rest of them cursed and shot at her again, which Odyne easily avoided. They then moved in closer, and brought out swords from the side of their bodies, which they used to slash at the cart. Odyne shot the closest ones, and grabbed the reins again. A large cliff stood in her wake, taking her by surprise, but giving her just the opportunity that she needed.

"Time for a little detour," Odyne whispered, and pulled the reins to her left, leaving her unscathed, while the bandits slammed their bodies straight into the cliff, knocking back the last breath that they had. Their horses dropped to the ground, receiving fatal head injuries. Odyne guided the cart along the face of the cliff, soon turning back to the road. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she and the horse trotted to the gates of Eldin Province, not forgetting to take out the last remaining bandits. After inspecting the condition of the cart, goods and horse, she led them to Kakariko Village.

Little did she know that one of the bandits was still alive. He pulled out the arrow from his leg, and limped back to Hyrule, defeated, but ready for another time.

* * *

_Another chapter? Now? xD._

_Sorry that I haven't been as faithful with this; I've been doing coursework for school so I haven't gotten round to updating as much. However, it is up. And I would kind of like some reviews for this; even if you hate it!_

_Also, sorry that these chapters aren't as long as people would like them to be. I'm working on it, but hopefully by halfway, I want to have at least 20k words._


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